Grinder



Jan. 5, 1932. L. F. CALHOUN GRINDER Filed Oct. 9, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR lon gmofi alknun ATTORNEYS.

Jan. 5, 1932. L. F. CALHOUN GRINDER Filed Oct. 9, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORL Patented Jan. 5, 1932 UNITED STATES P ATENT OFFICE LONGINO I. CALHOUN, OF WINONA, MISSISSIPPI; ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF T0 WILLIAM B. HODGES, OF WINONA, MISSISSIPPI GRINDER Application filed October 9, 1929. Serial No. 898,489.

This invention relates to improvements in grinders.

The primary object of this invention is the provision of an improved machine particularly well adapted for the grinding of food or other products, in an expeditious and efiicient relationship.

A further object of this invention isthe provision of an improved grinding machine,

which may efiiciently be used for the grinding of food products, such as shelled corn, corn on the cob, corn cobs and shucks, cornstalk fodder, soy beans, sorgum cane, and any other food products, or which may be used for the grinding of solid materials, such as bricks, rocks, and soft castings; the improved 'device operating in an efiicient relation for the grinding of the materials to a desired graduated size without the necessity of rading.

Other 0 jects and advantages of this inline l -40f Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a sectional view'taken through the grindin machine substantially on the line 55 of Tigure 4.

Figure 6 is a plan view of the lower section of a drum casing, showing the manner in which the openings for passage of ground materials may be aduated.

Figure? is a p an view of an adjustable member used in conjunction withthe perforated drum casing for determining the extent to which the materials may be ground.

In the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown only a preferred embodiment of the invention, the letter A may generally designate the improved. grinding machine, which may comprise a housing structure B having associated therewith a stationary drum C therein. Rotatable heating means D is provided for the grinding of materials therein. The housing B in the lower part thereof receives the materials as they are ground, and associated therein is a conveyor device F for conveying the materials to any desired location.

The housing B is of durable and compact construction, comprising a lower housing section 10, to which an upper housing section 11 is hingedly connected at 12. The lower housing section 10 comprises the front and rear walls 12 and 13 respectively, and the side walls 14 and 15. They are of the same height, and provide a rectangular shaped compartment 17 which is open at the top. The upper housing section 11 comprises the front and rear walls 18 and 19 res ectively, and side walls 20 and 21 The wa ls 18, 19, 20 and 21 are adapted to respectively lie in the same plane as the walls 12, 13, 14 and 3.5 of the lower housing; the upper housing section 11 defining. a compartment 25 which is a continuation of and aligned with the compartment 17; In the compartments 17 and 25 are disposed details of the drum 0 and.

other parts of the mechanism to be subse quently described. The sections 10 and 11 have a latch 12*.

Referring to the drum construction C, the same is preferably of any approved material. In the present instance it is of metal,

and consists of a lower arcuate section 30,

preferably arched thru 180, and at op o'- site ends thereofbeing provided with radia ly extending attaching flanges 31 and 32 which are-adapted to embrace transverse rails 33 and 34 respectively; the latter being mounted at their ends in the side walls 14 and 15 of the lower housing section, and bein spaced in the relative position shown in igure 4. The drum section .30 thus extends downwardly into the compartment 17 and it is provided with a plurality of substantially triangular shaped openings 38 therethrough,

I extend from adjacent the beam 34 about sub as shown in Figure 6 and elsewhere, which stantially three-quarters ofv the arcuated length of the drum section 30, terminating short of the rail 33 a distance greater than Referring for the' time being to the grinding means D, the same includes a shaft 40,

.shown in Figure 5 of the drawings,- which bears at 41 and 42 on'suitable bearings provided onsupporting rails 43'; the latter being attached tothe sidewalls 14 and 15, as shown in Figure 5. This shaft 40 extends transversely thru the housing B, and thru the center from which the drum wall 30 is struck. In the housing B, between the opposite side walls thereof, the shaft'40 has keyed therewith a sleeve 45, ofa desired size, provided with a plurality of eyes 46 arranged in a circumferential series thereabout; said eyes 46 being connected on a line which spirals circumferentially about the core 45, as shown in Figure 5. To each of these eyes 46 is connected a chain 50, consisting of a number of links of the same size; preferably six or more links being used, although this number may vary as desired. The chains are individually free to knock about in the housing, except for their connection at 46 above described, and they are all of the same length, although they are of such length that their free ends terminate just short of the inner peripheral surface of the drum C, as shown in Figure 4. To prevent damage to the walls of the housing B, discs 55 and 56 are provided in the housing, at opposite sides of the sleeve 45, keyed for rotation with the shaft 40, and of a diameter which will peripherally clear the inner walls of the drum C, but will prevent the chains 50 at their free ends from flapping against any walls of the housing B; the discs 55 and 56 being circular and of a material which will readily withstand wear as an incident of knocking about of-materials, and the chains in the drum.

The upper drum section in the housing portion 11 preferably comprises the rear and front arcuate portions 60 and 61, which at their lower ends are radially flanged and seinto the drum is provided, consisting of a sloping shelf 71, preferably integral with the drum section 60, which slops acutely to the horizontal, upwardly, in the compartment 25, rather tangentially to the drum. Simi larly the upper end of the drum section 61 is sloped to the horizontal, upwardly at 73, preferably arching upwardly slightly, and not paralleling exactly the portion 71. This neck defines a passageway 74 tothe drum or casing C, disposed tangentially, so that the materials may be readily fed from a hopper 75, supported on, a top wall 76 of the upper housing section 11, in a direction tangential to the direction of rotation of the rotary details in the drum; the direction of rotation being such that the hammers 50 in beating around within the drum casing will throw the materials against the concave side of the sloping wall 73 and prevent the same from being thrown out of the drum. Of course, the drum sections 60 and 61 and their connected parts 71 and 73 may be provided with lateral flanges, designated at 80 in the drawings, which are suitably detachably connected at 81 to the side walls 20 and 21 of the housing, as shown in Figure 4. The hopper 7 5 is of any approved type, provided with a flaring inlet to the neck passageway 74.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that the hopper section 11 when swung on the hinge 12 will permit of access to the rotary hammer parts of the grinder, since the drum casing sections 60 and .61 move with the housing section 11.

Referring to Figure 5 and elsewhere, it is noted that the shaft 40 extends thru the side of the housing and at its remote end from the housing B is rotatably supported at on the upper cross rail 91 of a framework 92 which is rigidly connected with the lower section of the housing 10. This framework 92 comprises upper and lower horizontal cross rails 93, the upper ones of which are connected with the rail 92 above mentioned, and the lower ones of which are connected to a horizontal rail 95. Vertical corner posts 96 connect the ends of the rails 91, 93 and 94, as shown in Figures 2 and 5. The shaft 40 between the bearings 41 and 90 is provided with a pulley wheel 97.

Referring to the lower housing sectionlO, the same is provided with a sloping bottom wall 100, which slopes from the rear downwardly towards the front, to permit the materials to roll by gravity to conveyor F, as they are sifted, after being ground in the compartment 17. The conveyor F is of any suitable size and type, and has an enclosing housing extending through a suitable openinglll provided in the front wall 13 of the lower housing section 10. The mate rials are caught as shown in Figure 4, by the conveyor F and moved therethrough to the desired location. The conveyor F- at its lid lower end has a drive shaft 112, which is transversely mounted in hearings in the walls 14 and 15, as shown in Figure 5, and extends transversely beyond the wall 14, having a bearing at 114 in the frame 92; the said shaft 112 thus paralleling the shaft 40 above mentioned. A belt 116 is provided, connecting the shafts 40 and 112 for drive of the former. The conveyor F is operated in the direction shown in Figure 4, although the pulley 116 may be arranged to drive the conveyor otherwise, if a belt type of conveyor, or other type, is desired. If desired, the shaft 112 may be provided with a suitable pulley 120 for connection of a drive belt 121 thereto.

Means is provided for adjusting the effective size of the openings 38, which consists in the provision of an arcuate plate 130, shown in Figure 7, longitudinally arched to conform to the section 30 of the drum casing C, and adaptedto lie therebelow in a circumfercntially slidable relation; the arcuate plate 130 having lateral fingers 132 at opposite sides thereof which are bent as shown in Figure 6 of the drawings marginallyv about the arcuate sections 30 of the drum casing. The adjustable graduated plate 130 is pro-vided with a plurality of substantially triangular shaped openings 135 therein. It is to be noted that the openings 38 and 135 are each in substantially the form of an isosceles triangle, wvith the apices of the openings 135 all facing in the same direction, and the apices of the openings 38 all facing in the opposite direction. Thus, upon sliding of the plate 130 relative beneath the drum section 30, the bases of the triangular openings 38 and 135 are relatively moved to vary the efiective opening thru which the ground materials may pass into the lower part of the V grinder below the drum. This is well shown in Figure 6 of the drawings and it is to be noted that the openings thru which the material may be forced, are hexagons in plan with no acute angles in which material is apt to lodge.

To enable the adjustment of the plate 130,, the same is provided with a radially outwardly extending ear 140, having a rod or screw bolt 141 connected therewith; the screw bolt 141 having a screw threaded end 142 which extends through an opening in the wall 12 of the housing section 10 exteriorly thereof, and there being provided with an adjustable thumb nut 144, which upon adjustment enables the plate 130 to be moved back and forth circumferentially about the lower section 30 of the drum casing, as is quite apparent. A spring 150, under compression, operates between the ear 140 and the wall 12 of the housing, normally tending to maintain the plate 130 in proper position and insure that the nut 144 will frictionally be held against the wall 12, or its boss provided on said wall, for maintaining the plate 130 in its proper relation to the plate 30.

Various changes in the shape, size, and arrangement of parts may be made to the form of invention herein shown and described, Without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. In a grinding machine the combination of a housing, a drum mounted in the housing, means to feed materials to the drum thru the housing, a shaft axially in the drum, means exteriorly of the housing for driving said shaft, a plurality of radially extending flexible beaters associated upon the shaft for rotation therewith for beating materials in the drum, and protecting discs of substantially the same internal diameter of the drum keyed for rotation with the shaft and disposed in said drum at opposite sides of the same with the beating elements therebetween.

2. In a grinding machine, the combination of a drum, rotary beating means in the drum,

the lower circumferential portion of the drum having openings therethrough, a slide segment upon the bottom of the drum having flanges slidably gripping the side margins of the lower portion of the drum so that the segment will move through the arc of the lower portion of the drum as it is slid therealong, the said segment having openings therethrough for variable adjustable alignment with respect to the openings of the drum, means to adjust theposition of the segment upon the drum in one direction circumferentially of the drum, said means including an adjusting screw connected with the segment, and spring means normally urging the segment in the opposite direction circumferentially of the drum.

LONGINO F. CALHOUN. 

